ATHENS — Panathinaikos and Beşiktaş closed EuroLeague Round 2 with emphatic wins, as Panathinaikos routed ASVEL 102-79 in Athens and Beşiktaş claimed its first victory since returning to the EuroLeague with a 109-93 win over Maccabi in Belgrade.
Panathinaikos hosted ASVEL after both teams had won their openers, but Željko Obradović’s side proved too strong for Tony Parker’s team and controlled the game from the outset. The hosts extended their lead with each quarter to secure another convincing win. Sylvain Francisco led Panathinaikos with 19 points, Lefteris Mantzoukas added 16 points and six rebounds, Jerian Grant scored 13, and Nikos Rogkavopoulos and Mathias Lessort contributed 12 apiece, with Lessort also grabbing eight rebounds. Nate Sestina paced ASVEL with 14 points, followed by David Lighty with 11 and Hugo Besson with 10.
In Belgrade, Beşiktaş pulled away midway through the third quarter when Anthony Brown hit three consecutive triples to put the visitors up 72-54, a lead Maccabi never seriously threatened. Brown and former Maccabi guard Scottie Wilbekin scored 20 points apiece, followed by Devon Dotson with 17 and Conor Morgan with 13. Jimmy Clark and Bonzie Colson led Maccabi with 15 points each.
The results capped a busy Round 2 slate that also saw Dubai edge Barcelona 94-87, Olympiacos outlast Žalgiris 93-91, Anadolu Efes beat Real Madrid 94-84, Fenerbahçe rout Bayern Munich 100-76 and Valencia roll past Baskonia 111-88. Panathinaikos moved to 2-0 alongside Fenerbahçe, Partizan, Valencia, Olympiacos and Dubai at the top of the standings, while Beşiktaş improved to 1-1. The victory came after Panathinaikos faced Villeurbanne shorthanded in their bid for 2-0 earlier in the week.